When my mother was dying, her knowledge of the health system meant she could make her choices with open eyes and understanding. And I think we are better at having The Conversation here than they are in the US. But it's still something worth considering.

“We need to bang the budget against some special leather books, taking all of the money out as we go, but once that’s done and were down from £94bn down to 1p we’ll be good to go,” Hunt told reporters.

'It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. '

'Why aren’t conservatives complaining about this South Carolina insurance law?' (which fines/forces a high registration fee on drivers who lack insurance, just like Obama's healthcare plan does to people who don't get insurance, be it from the central plan or a specific provider)

'A 24-year-old Cincinnati father died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn't afford his medication, offering a sobering reminder of the importance of oral health and the number of people without access to dental or health care.'

It's the "Keep your government hands off my Medicare" phenomena writ large: a society of people who subsist on mutual aid and redistributive policies who've been conned (and conned themselves) into thinking that they are rugged individualists and that everyone else is a parasite.

James Richard Verone woke up June 9 with a sense of anticipation. He took a shower. Ironed his shirt. Hailed a cab. Then robbed a bank. He wasn’t especially nervous. If anything, Verone said he was excited to finally execute his plan to gain access to free medical care.